We transferred from Taichung to Taipei on the 3rd day of our Taiwan trip via the High Speed Rail. Because it was lunchtime when we arrived at the Taipei Station, we decided to have our lunch at a hot pot restaurant there before going to Amba Hotel in Ximending. While it wasn’t really a tiring transfer, we decided to relax for a bit at the hotel before heading out to explore Taipei. What we initially planned as a quick rest turned out to be an oversleeping fest 😀 It was almost 5pm when we reached our first destination!

Our first stop was at the Longshan Temple which is just a station away from Ximen Station. It is a famous temple in Taiwan and is located in the old village called the Wanhua District. The temple’s structure is very strong in that it has survived several natural disasters and wars. Entrance is free but donations are welcome to maintain the temple.

Next, we went to Bopiliao Ancient Street. It is a few blocks away from Longshan Temple and has recently become a popular attraction in Taipei. It shows an old barbershop, a publishing house, a clinic, a Chinese pharmacy, and many others. It is just a small well-contained attraction and because of that, we didn’t really spend a lot of time there.

After a few pictures here and there, we left Bopiliao Ancient Street. It was getting dark and everyone was hungry and didn’t have the energy to walk back to the station so we just grabbed two taxis to take us to Taipei 101. It was a good decision to take the cab because as we drove our way, the magnificent Taipei 101 loomed into sight and we were able to take photos while in the cab!

I read somewhere that the best place to experience Taipei 101 is outside, not inside where you won’t be able to look at the structure itself. With that info, we opted not to go to the observatory and jut take pictures outside instead. Of course we still went inside to eat at their famous food court but we did not go to the observatory.

It was very cold that evening though and it made taking photos a real pain. Brrr. We literally had to go inside the building in between taking photos and checking if they turn out good. We didn’t envision it to be that cold so our clothes were not meant for that temperature. And so after running in and out of the building, we were like what the heck forget about feeling cold and just snapshot our way through it! Fun times 🙂

We saved some tummy space during dinner because that evening, we were bound to explore Shilin Night Market. Stay tuned because my next phost is going to be a gastronomic delight 🙂 Xie Xie!